The next step in USC QB Caleb Williams’ development
The transfer from Oklahoma is working on trusting his offensive line more, while critically evaluating when he should leave the pocket
Adam Grosbard (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES — Part of the excitement for USC fans when quarterback Caleb Williams chose to be a Trojan was his particular skill set as a dual-threat signal-caller. Sure, USC got a taste of that last season with Jaxson Dart before his meniscus tear, but Trojans quarterbacks have largely been stationary creatures.
So this comment from Williams after Tuesday’s spring practice might have been an eyebrow-raiser for some.
“I’ve actually been practicing to not move around so much.”
Now, this does not mean that Williams is going to abandon his feet after rushing 79 times for 442 yards as a freshman at Oklahoma. Rather, this is part of the next step in Williams’ evolution as a quarterback.
Williams said there were times with the Sooners when he was too quick to scramble instead of allowing plays to develop. Or he tried to run and wound up losing yardage instead of settling for throwing the ball away and taking second-and-10.
This spring, he is working on trusting his offensive line more, while critically evaluating when he does leave the pocket.
“It’s being conscious of it, writing it down every day when you’re watching film and things like that,” he explains. “So that you’re not out there thinking on the field because that’s the worst thing that you can do.”
There’s strategic value to this, too. Williams had the advantage last year of being a blank slate for many opponents to game plan for. Now, there’s a season’s worth of tape for teams to study and prepare.
Which means teams will likely try to take away Williams’ ability to break plays with his feet. As head coach Lincoln Riley explains it, the emphasis isn’t for Williams to run less, but to be able to beat any defense he is faced with.
“Most guys learn more and more when to stay in there and when not to. He’s getting a feel for that, he’s pushing himself on it,” Riley said. “As a quarterback, people are gonna try to play you all kinds of different ways and if you got ways to beat anything they throw at you, you become pretty tough.”
There are many things that Riley looks for a quarterback to improve on as he enters his second year of college such as a better understanding of game situations and getting a better handle on your emotions now that you know what to expect from a collegiate stadium.
But it also comes back to a deeper understanding of the Air Raid and how teams try to defend it. You spend your freshman year learning the basics, then try to expound on those as a sophomore.
Williams is working on this too in spring. He’s spending more time with the playbook, asking Riley and other staffers more questions.
And, as one of two Trojans who have played in Riley’s offense before, he is trying to teach his teammates the scheme as it is installed during camp.
“I’ve actually been trying to progress more in the offense so I can help (teammates) out with checks or if they have a question, I possibly can answer,” Williams said. “So that’s been my big focus this year is making sure that I’m taking the next steps to make sure that we’re in the right spots at the right time to go score or get a first down or convert or anything like that.”
BRIEFLY
Freshman cornerback Domani Jackson was cleared to participate in some drills on Thursday, the first time the former five-star recruit has been able to do so since a knee injury prematurely ended his senior season at Mater Dei.
ocregister.com
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Losing big honcho class of ’22 OT Josh Conerly, Jr, to ORE looks like it’s a big scarlet letter USC’s gonna have to wear for quite a while: Christian Caple (The Athletic): — “Lincoln Riley will have plenty of opportunities in 2023 and beyond (and in the portal) to re-stock the Trojans’ lagging offensive line depth, but man, he could have used Conerly to set the foundation. Of the 13 transfers USC has welcomed this offseason, only one — Bobby Haskins, from Virginia — is an offensive lineman, and the Trojans didn’t sign any high schoolers at the position in the… Read more »
“Navigate the dust of those who have adapted”, good line. Getting and keeping good players is much more complicated now. Who knows maybe Conerly will want to transfer to USC next year if the right deal comes along.
I enjoyed the “dust” line as well. There’s gonna be an awful lot of dust out there in the future. Some schools are gonna be covered in it. Others are gonna be shoveling it out like nobody’s business.
“Parsing qualms” got my attention too. Breaking down misgivings and downright confusion, aka spinning one’s wheels. Now, in the world of huge NIL repercussions, that leads to a giant dust bowl, the type Clay Helton loved to wallow in! Eat my dust Clay.
Allen, I think we really do not know how this is going to play out. I wrote in an earlier post that I would rather invest in a known commodity than an unknown one. A high school is a complete unknown. May be great, may be a bust. With the transfer rule, I would rather pay for a known commodity than invest in a kid who could be a bust, or could be great and then seek to transfer for a raise. Remember, the Supreme Court treated collegiate football players as employees of the university. SC is going to need… Read more »
It’s all gonna work out just fine. LR is constantly maximizing USC’s brand while building back up the proper foundation to support that brand, long dragged down by The Cat. It’s amazing how quickly we expect USC to return to power. It’s also so easy to overlook just how far Helton dragged the Trojan program down. I bet even LR was surprised when he saw just how disheveled and weak USC football had become — the price of keeping The Cat way too long. I look forward to as many roster changes as possible, as has been suggested publicly by… Read more »
Under the Cat, SC football was trending downward for at least 3 years (charitable) and to expect the program to do a 180 in one year is unrealistic (IMHO). Many are focusing on NIL as the deciding factor why Conerly signed with Oregon. I don’t disagree that NIL was a factor, but the state of the Trojan program was equally important. LR & his staff are legitimate big time coaches. But even they are swimming upstream with the top 4 & 5 * recruits. If LR was in year 2 or 3 I think Conerly is Trojan. I am looking… Read more »
For all I know, Conerly just liked Eugene and the ORE program most regardless of NIL. As his self-imposed announcement deadline approached, he embraced the much closer program geographically. That’s a common outcome, and ORE obviously has some recruiters who know what they are doing. Us USC fans got blinded by the light of what turned out to be erroneous crystal ball predictions from guys that spend an awful lot of time trying to get it right, and often do. But not this time. I’m still looking forward to the first 5-star OL who comes aboard LR’s new Trojans. In… Read more »
I just read a Pac 12 blog by someone named Canzano. I have no idea if he is a good source or not. He claims that Oregon has followed the Texas A&M model of boosters setting up a separate entity (corp or LLC) and funding it. That entity then enters into NIL agreements with the players. Appears to me to be simply a payoff for playing for the team, but it goes as NIL. The alleged Oregon entity is called State Street and it is run by ex-Nike employees and funded by big time Oregon boosters, including Phil Knight. Canzano… Read more »
Isn’t all NIL money, every cent of it, and from whatever source, received by all athletes from any school simply a payoff for playing for them? That’s what I consider it. If ORE used a better NIL setup to beat USC for Conerly, more power to them. That’s how the game is played now. Aaron Suttles (The Athletic) — TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — “Under Nick Saban’s stewardship, Alabama football is nearly always at the forefront of changes to the game. At the very least, it knows how to utilize those changes to stay at the top, maintaining one of the greatest… Read more »
Allen, Thanks for the citation. My guess is all major programs will need similar structures. It appears all SEC schools are already there. My guess is this means SC will have to change part of its approach. I think A&M was the first school to figure this approach out (if not, it was certainly the first to use it on a major scale). I wonder how much Jaxson Dart made from Ole Miss?
John Canzano is a legit “source” and is connected to sports in state of Oregon as much as anyone. He has a popular daily state wide radio program and until recently was a columnist for the largest newspaper in the state. NIL is the wild Wild West. The $ potential for the top kids is unbelievable. Not sure if it is good for college sports, but I am happy for the kids.
Trojan5, Thanks for the information. Canzano cited an unnamed source that amongst his finalist (all were quality programs), Conerly was going to sign with the best NIL money. As Allen points out above, under the present set ups, the NIL money is simply the school (through boosters) paying kids to play. If Canzano is correct (and it makes a lot of sense), Oregon simply offered Conerly better compensation for his services. If I were Conerly, I would have done the same. He is not going to school to “get an education”. He is in school to earn money, plain and… Read more »
Pay to play. What get me is all these people putting money into kids, some of whom will not make it as a college player. Sooner or later the money is going to stop coming, especially when younger people graduate with their social justice degrees.
Steve, Time will tell if it makes sense to invest say $250,000 in an High School player. Personally, I would be focusing on legit players via the transfer portal. I would not invest in a high school kid. After all, what happens if the kid does real well and then transfers for a big raise? Or if the kid busts? But, I could be wrong. Time will tell.
I’m stuck in salt lake airport until the middle of the night. Constantly traveling can really stink. I’m sure LR and crew are grateful they can recruit 10000 high schools without getting on a plane.
Peterson Could Be a Goner “The USC men’s basketball roster could be facing another major shakeup, as guard Drew Peterson announced that he will be entering the NBA Draft. “Peterson added in his declaration on Twitter that he will still maintain his college eligibility, leaving open the possibility that he returns for a final season at USC. By entering the draft, he will be able to work out for NBA teams and get feedback on whether now is the right time for him to turn pro or what he needs to work on before he officially enters the next level…”… Read more »
New 2024 LBP LB commit Dylan Williams (6-3, 215):
“SC is my dream school, I’ve been talking to my parents and we felt we were ready for it. Every time I talked to Coach Riley, he told me they wanted me bad. Coach Donte, too. And Coach (Brian) Odom was so stoked when I told him today.
“Coach Odom said me and him are going to start working. September 1 is when they can really start talking to me and he said he has a plan for me. So, we’ll be working…”
On3.com
Love this guy. Has nice size for a HS top recruit. If he went to an SEC school, they would undoubtably bulk him up with size & muscle to handle the physical play in that conference. Here in the PAC-12 it has been speed that counts above all. But with Oregon’s new HC and possibly LR, it could cause a change in philosophy that leads to more physicality?
I like Dylan Thomas too, especially at LB. Here’s another reason the young 16-yr old has me optimistic about his Trojan fortunes.
USC lands third Class of 2024 commitment in 4-star weakside LB Dylan Williams
Long Beach Poly soph LB Dylan Williams, a four-star prospect in the Class of 2024, has committed to USC.
He is the third public commitment in the Trojans’ ’24 class, joining LB Poly WR Jason Robinson and Calabasas ATH Aaron Butler, both also four-stars per 247Sports Composite.
theathletic.com.
LR was right, there is some very good players in the portal today. Two 5 star OL’s from GA. Wonder what is going on at GA for top players to leave.
I just listened to a podcast. One of them has a pending lawsuit. But that left tackle kid would be great! Let’s see LR go to work.
I kind of figured something was up with him as he wasn’t listed on the 2021 roster for GA.
Going around the Pac, I just read an article on ASU’s spring practice which just concluded. Sounded like Herm had a Heltonesque “spring game”: mostly “thudding”. Listening to Herm, I think ASU is in real trouble. He said they kept the O real simple and had only one running play. Losing Daniels to LSU really hurt that program. Herm was also clear that he is going to hit the transfer portal real hard this summer. He plans on viewing other team’s spring game tapes for talent that may become available. College football is indeed changing. It is really impossible to… Read more »
So true about the impact of losing Daniels to LSU. What a crushing slap in the face (sorry, I couldn’t help it!). Down goes ASU, also sunk by the pervasive illegal recruiting. Not sure how all that gets by old Herm.
Your post made me think that the pre-season CFB mags might be in for a world of hurt. Those articles are all being written now. Everything will be tweaked greatly before long.
Allen, you know how I feel about preseason polls, so now they are even more worthless. They will still generate the clicks though.
I’ll still probably buy a couple pre-season mags, just out of curiosity.
USC star forward Isaiah Mobley declares for NBA draft
Trojans’ leading scorer and rebounder, out of Rancho Christian High in Temecula, won’t be back for his senior season
“These past three years have been amazing,” Mobley said in a caption announcing his decision. “I’ve had experiences that I’ll never forget, played with teammates that have become brothers (well, one brother that became a teammate), and I’ve done it all in front of the best fans in the country.”
ocregister.com
To me he was just not that dominant of a player. Perhaps a bench player, unless he gets some coaching that makes him a stronger player.
I think younger bro Evan was the best, most versatile USC basketball player I have ever seen. He did some amazing things for USC, getting the team to the Elite 8.
Evan, the nation’s No. 1 prospect in the 2020 class, was the Pac-12 Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Sure wish he was a Laker.
Let the build-up begin!
Hot take
pre season #1 USC vs #5 or better LSU
Lincoln Riley tweeting out the fight on emoji today. Wonder who’s coming?
I love this “Bat Signal” method that LR uses. ✌
Shane Lee on USC vs ALA, so far: “When you go to a program like Alabama, the culture is already set, and you know what you’re going into. It’s been proven. You’re trying to see if you can stand. This is a place [USC] where you’re trying to build the culture. It’s not can you last here? It’s much more can you help us build this thing? That’s the biggest difference. “Football-wise, it’s just a different vibe here. When I came here, everyone embraced me. Coming up to me saying hi and talking to me. I’ve never really had that before… Read more »
When you look at Shane you see a well built stockier physical presence of an SEC proto-type LB. Even SEC DBs look physically molded with bulk & muscle. Like you see in the NFL. We will see how much emphasis LR puts into bulking up his players in the weight room in creating an imposing physical team.
Sounds like CB Ceyair Wright may not be around long. Trojans Wire https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/2022/04/08/donte-williams-delivers-brutal-assessment-of-usc-cornerback-ceyair-wright/?env=2c0fbadba8f6b9bc0a3b5f2029c763126785c260cd0c198b870399de52f96a26
Bye, bye, Josh Conerly, Jr:
twitter.com
Allen, You posted below on your take on recruiting, which I think has validity. But, I just read an article about LR’t take on recruiting and NILs. He first claims NIL money has totally changed recruiting. He was clear that recruiting and NIL money should be separated, but he acknowledged at this time, that divide does not exist. Nor do I see how the two can be separated. Reading between the lines, I think SC’s treating NIL money as something you earn as an opportunity at SC and not guaranteeing it. If reports are correct, both A&M and Texas are… Read more »
Like you RJJ, I don’t see how recruiting and NIL can be disconnected. If others can explain how this would be done, I’d like to know. Maybe I’m just overcomplicating it. ORE really smoked us on Conerly, Jr. I don’t know how they actually did it, or what truly inspired him to visit them again last weekend. But I can see why he thinks he can fit in better there. If a recruit just “feels” a place, that can be a very powerful bond and reason. Or maybe Phil Knight just adjusted this youngster’s NIL deal, while USC stood pat.… Read more »
Allen, You are missing the transfer portal piece of the pie. When I see a kid be solid to one program and then take a non-scheduled visit to another school and commit based on that, perhaps unfairly, I think it is the money. If OR was willing to pay the kid $125,000 plus the scholarship to attend and SC was giving no guarantees, why wouldn’t the kid go to OR? If he starts at OR and explodes like Thibodeaux (the DE – spelling), he then can transfer to SC and make his big time NIL money. Basically, he could use… Read more »
Bruce Feldman (On3.com) on Drake London: “First of all, he was an elite basketball player growing up,” Feldman said of London. “He won’t turn 21 until late July, so he’s still pretty young. He’s 6’4, 220, and his football functioning speed is really good. He may not time great, but he really can move well when you see him in pads. The other thing that I heard is he reminds people of Mike Evans, who was also a high-level basketball player coming out of high school. “Not quite as big as Mike Evans, but close. Mike Evans ran really well, probably better… Read more »
CBSSports — “Josh Conerly Jr., a five-star offensive lineman and the No. 15 overall prospect in the Class of 2022, announced his commitment to Oregon and first-year coach Dan Lanning on Friday live on CBS Sports HQ. The 6-foot-5, 283-pounder from Rainer Beach High School in Seattle chose the Ducks over USC. The Trojans were in the lead for his services as late as last week, but the Ducks swooped in and kept Conerly in the Pacific Northwest.”
cbssports.com
We didn’t get him. Moving on.
IMHO, not getting Connerly shows how far LR needs to go in order to make USC have the reputation once again as a developer of great OL talent. Yary, Munoz, B. Matthews, Mosebar. Connerly maybe could have been the start of that new era. But maybe he likes the revolving uniform circus at Duckland….
im with you on needing great o line talent. But we didn’t win this one, we will soon. LR will get his guys, I am 100% certain of it.
i believe you are right. I was hoping Connerly would be like the DL guy that Pete Carroll signed his first year that let the world know that Pete was the new sheriff on the west coast. Who was that kid? Shaun Cody?
Such a different atmosphere in college football than it was when PC was the HC. Money seriously comes into play, and even though USC now has a quality HC, the ghost of the cat still shows itself at times. LR will get some guys, perhaps not as highly rated as the guys going to Alabama, TAM, GA, or Clemson, until recruits actually see USC is a national contender on the field of play. When that happens then we can have expectations for the very best to come here. A year or more perhaps, but by the time USC plays LSU… Read more »
This loss is a real gut punch. But it’s over now, it’s temporary, and LR/staff can now move on to someone who likes the USC Trojans the best. I always think a very important factor in recruiting, is getting kids who really want to play for you more than anyone else. While it turned out Conerly, Jr, was a Duck, maybe it’s UW who should feel the worst since the kid is from Seattle and the Huskies haven’t been getting any good pub lately from what I have seen. This was kind of weird how ORE got back on top… Read more »
May have come down the being as close to home as he could get and still be in a good program. Wish him well but he will soon be watching USC in the playoffs from his couch!
Thinking the same thing GT. If UDUB wasn’t a mess today, Conerly might not have left the State. He pretty much limited his choices to two West Coast programs.
I’m really glad I watched the short tape of Conerly, Jr, declaring for ORE. I’m officially over the guy now, not because of anything bad he did, but because I better understand why he chose the Ducks, which were always a geographically much closer strong alternative.
What we all still understand is that LR has a world of work to do on USC’s OL if he ever expects to get the Trojans to the promised land. I have no doubt he’ll be working day and night on that project.
Brian Kelly, now at LSU: “Notre Dame,” the 60-year old coach said, “is a bit buttoned up.”
If you’re interested in more about why Kelly took the LSU job, in addition to the money, this is a qood, quick read:
cbssports.com
Read the article. Partly a lot of blowhardiness by Brian Kelly, but some truth to what he talked about. With ND having it’s own TV contract, their facilities should be close to what ever any SEC school could boast about. Sounds like ND likes to skate on it’s reputation and not spend money. KInd of like SC prior to hiring Lincoln Riley.
Kelly sounded very grateful to escape. He made a no-brainer decision when I think about it. It would have been nice to see Riley vs Kelly in South Bend and the Coliseum. We owe Kelly a few defeats as I see it.
Fortunately, USC and LSU open in Las Vegas in 2024. I can’t wait for that one.
Looks like Kelly is as loved in Domerland as much as Riley in Soonerland.
https://www.si.com/college/notredame/.amp/football/brian-kelly-didnt-win-at-notre-dame-because-of-brian-kelly-not-notre-dame
Thanks for posting this GT. It’s very clear that it was time for ND and Brian Kelly to part ways. Little did we know, wouldn’t you say? “Kelly was always quick to take the credit but never accepted the blame, and that clearly hasn’t changed.” I never heard Helton accept any blame at USC either, even though he always preached about fully understanding the expectations at USC. I sometimes wonder if Helton ever felt there was ever even anything wrong or disappointing with his tenure in Trojan Land, even though he had a phobia against winning, or even playing well… Read more »
Head coaching football at ND is a meat grinder with an ultra-demanding alumni, an administration that genuflects to their NBC TV contract and unless you were a Rockne or Leahy who stayed until they pretty much dropped dead, you had to escape as Parseghian & Holtz did to maintain their sanity. Other top-notch HC’s have said no to this job which should tell you something. To say ND “is a bit buttoned up” is an understatement”. I don’t begrudge Kelly one bit for saving his marbles getting out of there. Having said that, Kelly could have landed in an easier… Read more »
With 5-star OT Josh Conerly, Jr, set to announce in about an hour, here’s an opinion on him from Barrett Sallee (CBS): “Athletic build with requisite height and length to play outside for the long run,” Gabe Brooks of 247Sports wrote. “Lean relative to mass and position with ample bulking space. Built like a jumbo edge defender with the field demeanor of a tone-setting offensive lineman. Two-sport standout who starts for a Seattle basketball powerhouse and played running back in youth football. Functional athleticism fostered on the hardwood manifests on the gridiron. Excellent movement ability for a big man. Advanced foot… Read more »
Former USC water polo coach Jovan Vavic convicted in massive college admissions scandal trial. Of 57 people charged, 54 have pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial BOSTON, April 8 (Reuters) – A former University of Southern California water polo coach was convicted on Friday on charges he accepted more than $200,000 in bribes to help children get into the school as fake athletic recruits in the latest trial to result from the U.S. college admissions scandal. A federal jury in Boston found Jovan Vavic, 60, guilty on all three charges he faced following an investigation into a nationwide fraud… Read more »